Furnace



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F. B. BELL FURNAGE '7 Sheets-Sheet E Filed March 3, 1919 Dec. 6, i924.

F. B. BELL FURNACE w@ 1D C; L n M Dec.. 16, 1924. 11,519,970

F. B. BELL FURNACE` Filed Marchv 5, 1919 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 '7 Sheets-Sheet 6 F. B. BELL FURNACE Filed March 5, 1919 wm? hun.

Dec. 16, 1924.

Patented Dec. 16, 1924.

UNITED STATES FRANKB. BELL, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

FURNACE.

Application filed March 3, 1919. Serial No. 280,252.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, F RANK B. BELL, a citizen of the United States, residing in Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Furnaces, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates in general to furnaces or heating apparatus and has more particular reference to apparatus of this character providing for thel heating of blocks or billets for forging and where it is desirable that the articles being heated receive the desired temperature evenly throughout the entire body.

A principal object of the invention is the provision of an apparatus of this charactei1 which will produce successively delivered blocks or billets heated in like amount and each individually heated uniformly throughout.

A further object of the invention. is the provision of a furnace or heating apparatus which will receive the blocks or billets at one end and thereafter automatically or at least mechanically move them along through the furnace to a point of discharge without requiring the operator to give particular attention to a particular block or billet.

A still further important objectof the invention is the provision of a furnace of this character which may be effectively operated while requiring the attention of a minimum number of operators.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following drawings when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment thereof.

On the drawing,

Figures l and 1a together represent a longitudinal section taken through anapparatus in which my invention'is embodied;

Figs. 2 and 2'LL show a top view partly in plan and partly in section of such an apparatus;

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section through the same showing the carrier or main heating chamber bottom lowered and partly removed for inspection or repair;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged partial vertical section taken through a corner or part of the bottom and adjacent the main heating chamber;

F ig. 5 is a. sectional view through the preliminary heating chamber; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail showing the mechanism for advancing the carrier.

My invention contemplates, among other features and advantages, the provision of an elongated furnace or preliminary heatlng chamber down which extend skidways and along which skidways the blocks or billets are successively pushed from one end to the other. lVhen they reach the lower end they fall from the skidways and into a main heating chamber and upon a carrier under the control of the operator, which moves them about the furnace at any rate he may desire and around to a discharge point from which he may remove them for delivery to the forging presses.

The apparatus includes a combustion chamber discharging the hea-ted gases into the main heating chamber and these gases pass up through the long preliminary heating chamber and out near its end remote from the main heating chamber. rihe hot gases of combustion for heating the billets may be found in any suitable apparatus, that on the drawing being merely selected for the purpose of illustration.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to Figs. 1a and 2a, reference character 16 indicates a grate of any usual or preferred construction, reference character 17 an air or draft inlet and reference character 18 the combustion chamber. The details of construction of the combustion portion of the apparatus it is believed need not be described, it being sufficient to state that the heated gases and products of conibustion pass directly into the main heating chamber 19 by a communicating flue 21 between the combustion chamber 18 and the main heating chamber 19. This flue is formed between outer furnace walls 22 at each side, the bottom of the roof and the top of a brick wall 23.

`The main heating' chamber is supported upon a suitable foundation 24 providing a pit 25 beneath the chamber and is defined by the walls 22 and continuations 26 of these walls and by a roof 27 preferably inclined as shown on the drawing. The foundation is formed to provide support 28 for rails 29 located at each side of the pit and extending out of the furnace, an opening 31 for a purpose to be presently disclosed being lil provided above the rails. The bottom of the main heating chamber in the present instance consists of a carrier 32 rotatably supported in place when in operative position and adapted to be lowered or moved out of position onto the rails 29 and through the opening 31 to permit inspectionand repair. This carrier or movable bottom is mounted upon an annular support 33 which, when the parts are operatively arranged, is supported by j ack-screws 34 from the rails and which forms the lov/er part of an antifriction r'aceway for bearing balls or rollers 35.V The carrier or bottoml 32 is provided upon its under face with a metal shell 36y which provides the upper or companion part ofthe ball race so that the carrier may rotate with relatively little friction upon the balls.

The metal shell 36 has a flange 37 extending up about the sides of the carrier (Fig. 4) and this flange is turned out at 38 at its upper end to engage beneath a floating sealing ring 39 when the parts are assembled. The sealing ring 39 carries a downwardly extending flange 41 which seats in the channel of an annulus 42 of channel shape formation, this annulus being permanently supported at its upper edge at 43 from a member 44 extending about the bottom of the main heating chamber and having passageways 45 through it to convey water for keeping these metal parts in sufficiently cool condition.

Mounted in the bottom of the pit 25 is a cylinder 46 carryingV a plunger 47, which cylinder and plunger constitute a hydraulic lift for raising and lowering the carrier or bottom of the main heating chamber as occasion may require. Piston 47 carries a spider 48 engaging the lower face of the carrier or bottom of the main heating chamber at its center as may be seen by observing Fig. la. Assuming the parts to be in the position shown in Fig. 1a, the carrier may be removed by elevating the spider to takethe weight from the jack-screws 34, which may then be removed and the hydraulic device i then slowly released permitting the carrier to move down with it until the ring 33 rests upon the tracks when it may be pushed or pulled out at the side. In this action the ring 39 drops do-wn and rests upon the upturned free edge of the annulus 42. The parts may vberepositioned by a mere reversal of the described operation, the flange picking up the ring 39 as it arrives at operative position. later is preferably kept in the channel of the annulus 42 to form an air and gas tight seal.

f An elongated preliminary heating chamber orfurnace indicated generally at 49 communicates with the main heating chamber and down this the blocks or billets are moved and receive a substantial heating before being deposited upon the moving carrier. This heating chamber is supportedupon a suitable foundation or base 51 and upon side walls 52 which carry a top 53 and a bottom 54, the top and bottom being inclined as indicated. A plurality of water cooled pipes 55 extend from one end to the other of this elongated heating chamber and these pipes are supported' in keepers 56 upon blocks or arch supports 57. In the present insta-nce there are six of these pipes arranged in pairs and each pair is adapted to receive a procession of blocks or billets and guide them through the chamber. The blocks or billets are deposited through the upper end of the chamber through an opening 58, and a plurality of hydraulic cylinders 59 are mounted therebeyond, the pistons 61 of which carry pushers 62 adapted to push upon the blockv last inserted and through it to push down the'procession of blocks ahead of it along the skidways in accordance with the desired rate of feed. The blocks or billets indicated at 63 are thus accurately delivered into the main heating chamber. The portions of the blocks or billets contacting with the water cooled. skidways are of course cooler than the remaining part of the blocks and after these blocks or billets are deposited upon the carrier 33 they are maintained in the furnace and moved about to present successive portions directly to the incoming gases' a suliicient time to permit even heating of the billets.

This of course is attained by heat absorpy tion of the gases of the main heating chamber and also by transmission of heatfrom the parts ofthe block or billet lhaving higher temperature to the parts having lower.

The carrier is rotated at a desired and controlled speed by a hydraulic power mechanism indicated in Fig. 6. Teeth 71 are provided about the bottom of the metal shell 37 and these teeth are engageable by a pawl 72 carried upon a head '73 of a piston rod 74, said piston rod having a'piston 75 movable within a hydraulic cylinder 76. The

l pawl 72 is provided with two operative teeth 77 and 78 so that if desired the direction of rotation of the carrier may be temporarily reversed. The pawl carries a tail 79 which is connected with a lever 81. This lever passes through a yoke 82 pivoted at 83 upon two arms'84 fast upon the head 73 of the plunger., A spring 85 embraces the' lever 81 and engages at one end against the yoke 82 and at the other against a keeper 86 fixed against movement upon the lever. `The free end of the lever is connected to a rod 89 which may be manipulated by the operator to reverse the position of the pawl. v

The movement of the carrier is preferably progressive and at a relatively slow rate of llO speed in a direction to carry the blocks or billets from the receiving point or opening between the two heating chambers around the main heating chamber to a discharge point located near but on the other side of said receiving point so that the billets are carried through a major part of the circumference of a circle exposing them thus on several sides to the heated gas passing first through the main chamber and then through the preliminary heating chamber. The discharge point in the present instance is at a doorway 91 adapted to be closed by a door 92 which slides vertically in guideways 93.

The carrier is located a distance below the lower end of the skidways to permit the blocks to drop off and fall thereupon on end when the blocks are of short length. This of course exposes directly the dark or cool spots on the blocks or billets to the heat of the furnace. It is not, however, necessary to the operation of the furnace that this action should occur for it has been found that thc furnace works Well where the billets are of too great length to permit this to occur.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

l. The process of heating blocks or billets for forging, comprising moving them down skidways through a heating chamber and onto a movable carrier bottom in a main heating chamber, and mechanically moving said bottom so that the blocks or billets are moved continuously and without manual handling about said main heating chamber to a point of exit with the portions thereof formerly engaging the skidways exposed directly to the heated gases of the heating chamber to equalize the temperature.

2. The combina-tion of a preliminary heating chamber, skidways therein, a main heating chamber` communicating with said preliminary heating chamber and into which said skidways discharge, and means in said main heating chamber for receiving said blocks or billets and moving them about to equalize their temperature.

3. The combination of a preliminary heating chamber, skidways therein, a main heating chamber communicating with said preliminary heating chamber and into which said skidways discharge, and a carrier in said main heating chamber for receiving the blocks or billets from the skidways and moving them about the main heating chamber to equalize their temperature.

4. In a furnace for heating blocks or billets, the combination of a preliminary heating chamber, skidways in said preliminary heating chamber, a main heating chamber, the bottom of said main heating chamber being rotatable and arranged beneath the lower edge of said skidways a distance to permit the blocks or -billets to automatically drop from a position on their sides on their skidways to a position on their forward ends on said bottom.

5. In a furnace for heating blocks or billets, the combinat-ion'of a heating chamber, a rotatable carrier in said heating chamber for moving said blocks or billets about said heating chamber, said carrier being completely removable from said heating chamber for adjustment and repair.

6. In a furnace for heating blocks or bil lets, the combination of a heating chamber, a rotatable carrier in said heating chamber for moving said blocks or billets about said heating chamber, said complete carrier being downwardly movable and then outwardly from beneath the heating chamber for repairs.

7 In a furnace for heating blocks or billets, the combination of a furnace having a rotatable bottom, inclined slidways communicating therewith, and means providing main and preliminary heating chambers about respectively the space above the bottom and said skidways.

8. In a furnace for heating blocks or billets, the combination of a furnace having a rotatable bottom and pivoted means adapted to engage the periphery of the bottom for rotating the same, said means being normally disconnected from said bottom and being engageable therewith for operation in different directions at the will of the operator.

9. In a furnace for heating blocks or billets, the combination of a furnace having a rotatable bottom, and a reciprocating driving mechanism having means for engaging and rotating said bottom.

10. In a furnace for heating blocks or billets, the combination of a furnace having a withdrawable and rotatable bottom, and mechanism for rotating the same.

FRANK B. BELL. 

